Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MACA has a different relationship with the local band government than we would have with other governments. Other governments fall under the legislation that defines authority and roles and responsibilities. Local band governments fall under the authority of the federal Indian Act and are the responsibility of the Indian and Northern Development Canada, or INAC. We have nine local band governments in the Northwest Territories, and MACA has a financial agreement with them to deliver municipal services. Beyond these agreements we really have no authority over their...

As we move forward to finalizing some of the applications for some of the work that goes there, and again, I will check with the department, we'll see what analysis has been done. As the Member said there was some mention, I believe, of housing. I have to say we make it sound like we're not spending any money on housing and then if you look at the budget document that we're about to debate in the coming weeks, we have $146 million invested in housing across the Northwest Territories. I think that's fairly significant and I would put the investment that we make in our housing per capita compare...

I will have discussion with my counterpart at DOT. They normally do project description reports for these particular types of projects before we even get to an application stage for the funding, and if that is part of the work then it would be in that project description report. But I'm sure if you ask the residents of Whati they would be quite pleased to see a road into Whati which will have twofold benefits. People will be able to work on that road which will require some of our social spending to come down, and there may also be another spinoff effect where there might be some work done to...

The Member is absolutely correct. We are very proud of the new deal. It's actually been since 2007 now, so it's not so new anymore, but we're very proud of the deal and the responsibility that it's given the communities to prioritize a lot of their initiatives and with the ability they have and the financing they have they can put these to use. The major difference in responsibility is probably the capital planning, and we work closely with the communities to assist them in the application process and the planning process for their capital infrastructure projects. Ultimately at the end of the...

MACA has no relationship with the Dehcho First Nations as to the operations of the band within their area. We work directly with INAC, or we will work closely with the local band governments as it relates to the municipal-type services or responsibility that we have an agreement with them to deliver.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in the mandate to pursue new federal funding for the enhancement of community government infrastructure. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, MACA, is working collaboratively with both the federal and community governments to fulfill that commitment through various funding programs, including the Gas Tax Agreement and the New Building Canada Plan. Funding leveraged through these programs is helping to decrease the community public infrastructure deficit in communities across our...

Mr. Speaker, 911 has been on the radar for the past assemblies and it received a lot of attention. There's a lot of work that's gone into it. We had a working group that was set up to analyze the implementation and how we could work 911 into the system. That work is being done, as the Member correctly stated, but to his question, 911 is not really a part of the NWT mandate, the mandate we just put together, but recognizing that it is an important safety service that's required across the NWT, I will commit to the Member that we will continue to have discussion on 911 service and how we can get...

Mr. Speaker, I did make a commitment in the past that we do our work in trying to analyze the effects that it has on the NWT. We will continue to do that work. We share that with committee. For the particular detail on that, I don't have that detail right now as to what do I think we are going to lose if ten people leave the Northwest Territories, but we are doing what we can to mitigate the effect on the NWT as a whole.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I made the commitment while we were meeting with committee in Committee Room A that we would do the work in analyzing the effects that it would have. Historically, we have always been able to accommodate a lot of those folks that have been affected in moving them to other departments, and we are continuing to do that work. We will continue to keep committee apprised. In the briefing that I had with committee the other day, I did make a commitment that we would come before committee every Monday and give them an update on the work that we are doing to accommodate all...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to recognize my wife, Judy, who is with us in the gallery today who came down to support me during the budget address. I appreciate her being up in the gallery. Thank you very much.